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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

Sixth form at Camden School for Girls

9 replies

WendyHurrell · 04/05/2021 17:45

Son has conditional sixth-form place at various excellent state schools inc CSG (his no1 choice, basically I think because of its location and 'cool' rep). He applied without attending any open days (COVID) so is flying blind.

He has now been invited to offer-holder days at the other three schools, but CSG says it isn't scheduling an offer-holder event (COVID again).
This seems a bit crap and has made me feel uneasy.
Is it indicative of CSG approach? Is the school a bit too grand/complacent/disorganised to look after incomers? What's it like for boys? Any feedback would be appreciated.

OP posts:

Original poster

WendyHurrell · 05/05/2021 13:45

bumping

OP posts:

MrsAudreyShapiro · 05/05/2021 14:14

My dd went to CSG sixth form having been at a different school previously. She is glad she switched for sixth form, did very well and is now at uni.

Based on my dd's experience, I would not say they are grand, complacent or disorganised. The teaching was excellent and dd enjoyed being with other bright kids and being challenged academically. They were a lot less disorganised than the school she went to before. The focus of the sixth form is very much on getting them into good universities.

Socially, she found there was a division between the girls who had been through the main school and the kids who came from elsewhere. She also never felt like she fit in with the 'cool' kids. All her friends were either kids who came from other state schools or else orchestra players. (She loved the orchestra.)

Overall, I think she would say CSG was academically great and socially a bit mixed, but she has no regrets about going there.

Original poster

WendyHurrell · 06/05/2021 13:17

Thanks so much for this -- very heartening.

AAAGH would be so much easier if they did an offer-holder event like everyone else. It's such a big decision to make if you've never been inside the building/met a member of staff.

OP posts:

SixthFormchoices · 10/12/2021 09:10

I would be grateful for more opinions about Camden School for girls Sixth Form: Teaching, extra curricular opportunities, general atmosphere, facilities.

For what I have read here it doesn't seem very diverse or inclusive socially (not because of the staff but because of the kids that attend there)

SixthFormchoices · 10/12/2021 09:13

@WendyHurrell

Son has conditional sixth-form place at various excellent state schools inc CSG (his no1 choice, basically I think because of its location and 'cool' rep). He applied without attending any open days (COVID) so is flying blind. He has now been invited to offer-holder days at the other three schools, but CSG says it isn't scheduling an offer-holder event (COVID again). This seems a bit crap and has made me feel uneasy. Is it indicative of CSG approach? Is the school a bit too grand/complacent/disorganised to look after incomers? What's it like for boys? Any feedback would be appreciated.

Would you mind telling me if your son decided to go for Camden School for girls Sixth Form? also, what other schools he applied for. Helping my daughter with the research.

SixthFormchoices · 10/12/2021 11:34

I see they allocate places based on distance, siblings, etc. I thought this didn't apply any longer for Sixth Form, was hoping that it was based on GCSEs grades. Maybe we are a bit far.

Flamingpantoufles · 10/12/2021 13:18

@SixthFormchoices admissions policy does state that they prioritise distance etc provided students meet entry criteria but the reality is that people seem to come from quite far afield for 6th form so def worth a shot I'd say. Also there are orchestral music places if that might be an option for your daughter?

Our experience is that the school is very diverse and inclusive though 6th form may be different because I believe there is a big influx from highly selective private schools at that point - but what I've seen of it seems v positive and we know several families v happy with it. Caveat - I don't personally have a child in 6th form (yet!) . I also really like the new head at the school.

Feel free to PM me with questions and I'll help if I can

SixthFormchoices · 11/12/2021 08:43

[quote Flamingpantoufles]@SixthFormchoices admissions policy does state that they prioritise distance etc provided students meet entry criteria but the reality is that people seem to come from quite far afield for 6th form so def worth a shot I'd say. Also there are orchestral music places if that might be an option for your daughter?

Feel free to PM me with questions and I'll help if I can[/quote]
Thanks a lot. We will definitely give it a try.

Do you know how many kids do they have in Sixth form. The website says it is 12 tutors groups and there could be a minimum of 140 places for external students.

Also, what are the facilities like? especially in Sixth Form.

Flamingpantoufles · 13/12/2021 10:14

I'm afraid I don't know much about the 6th form facilities specifically. The site is very small and some might say a bit run down - I don't think the facilities are really what the school prides itself on, it's more about the culture, teaching, celebration of individuality etc It has a very creative feel about it but they are low on funds at the moment like many, many schools. I'd say the breadth in the curriculum is excellent and the extra-curricular life of the school is very rich. I think it is probably not top choice for the super sporty though...

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